I have some questions. I came into the Kingdom about 50 years ago. I became a part of the Bride of Christ. I have lived local church life faithfully.
I looked on as the separation of the “charismatic” church from the “obedience” church was completed (a work inspired by Satan, I believe now in retrospect). I have lived as a Spirit-alive believer in a divided movement as the gulf between what is sound and what is pleasing has come to full flower. I have also observed the end-times-like breaking down of world and American culture, and watched as the church has ceded what is true to vain philosophy and the doctrines of demons and in many ways has apostatized. This is almost complete, I believe.
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs – we hear them in our own tongues speaking of the mighty deeds of God.”
And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” But others were mocking and saying, “They are full of sweet wine.” But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to my words. “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel:
‘And it shall be in the last days. God says, that I will put out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men will dream dreams; even on My servants, both men and women, I will in those days our out My Spirit, and they will prophesy. I will grant wonders in the sky above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapors of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious Day of the Lord shall come. And it shall come about that everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.
Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know – this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. For David says of Him, “I saw the Lord always in My presence; for He is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue exults, my flesh will dwell securely, for You will not abandon my soul to the grave. Neither will You allow Your holy One to undergo decay. You have made known to me the path of life, You will fill me with gladness in Your presence.
For brevity: David is dead but His promises remain. Jesus was the focus of this promise. He has been raised from the dead – and we are witnesses to this. Let everyone know that the house of Israel has killed Him Who is both Lord and Christ. Return to the text:
Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do? Peter said to them, repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
My questions:
Is the Spirit the water, and the Word of God the container?
How can we discern what is truth in the Spirit?
Is it time for the authentic church to return to reunite under the Word of the Spirit?
What are the guides for the outpouring of the Spirit?
God appointed prophets to speak to Jews and Gentiles alike. (we are either one or the other – I personally am a German-Norwegian Gentile)
Though they spoke in different centuries and to different groups, the prophets of God send a cohesive message: “Return to Me and I will return to you.”
“I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.” – Jeremiah 24.7
(see Jeremiah 4:1; Hosea 11:5; Joel 2:12; Zechariah 1:3; Malachi 3:7; Matthew 4:17)
Prophetic Kudos,
Dave